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More than half the state’s counties are on a poverty watch list

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Illinois

A study released this week by the Social IMPACT Research Center at Heartland Alliance placed more than half of the state’s 102 counties on a poverty watch list.

Considered an update to the organization’s poverty report issued last year, it placed 52 of Illinois’s 102 counties on a poverty watch list, up from 30 last year, while finding that almost a third of state residents are below the poverty line or considered low-income.

Using 2016 census data, the alliance issued a statewide map showing poverty widespread by county. The study found that poverty was increasing in Chicago suburbs, and that while all the collar counties are considered relatively healthy, with poverty rates below 12 percent, all had more than 20,000 people below the poverty line.

According to the alliance, its County Well-Being Index “highlights counties that are experiencing particularly negative conditions and trends on four key indicators: poverty, unemployment, teen births, and high-school graduation.”

* The map…

An interactive map and more info is here. The full report is here.

posted by Rich Miller
Tuesday, Jul 31, 18 @ 9:41 am

Comments

Don’t worry the trickle down is trickling as we speak.

Comment by PublicServant Tuesday, Jul 31, 18 @ 9:49 am
The solution is, as we all know, cutting regulation and government spending. I’ve been told that’s the panacea for all of society’s ills.

Comment by PJ Tuesday, Jul 31, 18 @ 9:50 am
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JoQ4GidQP-k

Comment by PublicServant Tuesday, Jul 31, 18 @ 9:54 am
I would guess that a large percentage of households living at or below the federal poverty line are dependent on social security, disability or pension income and that many of these are seniors. Another large percentage of people living in poverty are children.

These people have just enough income to survive and little hope of getting a raise. They are trapped.

Comment by 47th Ward Tuesday, Jul 31, 18 @ 10:01 am
“The solution is, as we all know, cutting regulation and government spending. I’ve been told that’s the panacea for all of society’s ills.” -

The policies of the last two to three decades haven’t been working out real well either, so let’s keep those in place and see if we can get even worse numbers.

Comment by Arock Tuesday, Jul 31, 18 @ 10:10 am
The map is useful in pointing out how statistics in their simplest form are near worthless. DeKalb, Champaign, McDonough, McLean Counties are all on the list for high poverty rates. That’s because most college kids are “poor” even though large swaths of them are not, because they are being subsidized by their parents.

Comment by Damn Stats Tuesday, Jul 31, 18 @ 10:10 am
Streator used to be called “The Glass Container Capital of the World,” until one of its bottle plants was relocated to…Mexico.

When I lived in Galesburg, its Maytag plant, with 1,600 high-paying jobs, was relocated to…Mexico.

Every job shipped out of the country takes something else with it: those workers’ income taxes.

People in poverty don’t pay as much in taxes. Often they need government services. Less income for the state, more outgo for the state.

Yeah, that tinkle-down economics is really working, Ronnie.

Comment by Streator Curmudgeon Tuesday, Jul 31, 18 @ 10:19 am
No more govt spending isn’t the answer the answer is getting our schools to better prepare our students to get the skills for the economy we have. Handouts haven’t worked. The economy has 5 million jobs to fill if only the applicants could read and pass a drug test

Comment by Sue Tuesday, Jul 31, 18 @ 10:25 am
The US Census uses household data so children and college students wouldn’t be counted separately.

Comment by Da Big Bad Wolf Tuesday, Jul 31, 18 @ 10:28 am
“When I lived in Galesburg, its Maytag plant, with 1,600 high-paying jobs, was relocated to…Mexico.”

As profiled in The Atlantic:

https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2014/09/the-last-refrigerator/380154/

Comment by City Zen Tuesday, Jul 31, 18 @ 10:29 am
If the average college student was being propped up by their parents, there wouldn’t be a student loan debt crisis.

Comment by Precinct Captain Tuesday, Jul 31, 18 @ 10:30 am
This would be far more informative if broken down by age.

Comment by Anonymous Tuesday, Jul 31, 18 @ 10:34 am
Wait, I thought that big bad Cook County and its horrible awful city of Chicago was to blame for every social ill in the state?
So much so that several GOP reps want to secede thinking they’d be better off? That is wrong???

Comment by low level Tuesday, Jul 31, 18 @ 10:52 am
from the report …”Providing employment opportunities
has been shown to have large impacts on reducing violence. One estimate predicts that adding 50 new jobs that
non-college-educated males would be qualified to hold in a neighborhood would reduce the crime rate by
4.4 per 1,000 people.”

Start by advocating for reducing/eliminating the minimum wage. The minimum wage discriminates against low skilled non-college educated folks that need entry level jobs to move up the ladder.

Comment by Texas Red Tuesday, Jul 31, 18 @ 10:57 am
No surprise Illinois is completely hostile to business and they prefer to set up shop in our neighboring states or countries.

Corporate taxes were much higher than other countries so jobs moved overseas. Not that they are competitive we are starting to see some jobs come back and we have had strong economic growth.

“In the first five quarters of the Trump presidency, growth has been almost 40 percent higher than the average rate during the Obama years, and per capita growth in gross domestic product has been 63 percent faster.”

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/commentary-could-democrat-james-carville-save-the-gop/

Comment by Lucky Pierre Tuesday, Jul 31, 18 @ 11:04 am
Douglas and Piatt counties are quite the oasis among some high poverty-rate surrounding counties.

What gives? Is it just the racial demographics?

Having said that that, these county lines — like state lines — are arbitrary, and don’t really reflect the dynamics in play.

We’re not a motley collection of 12th-century city-states, operating separate “economies” based on borders.

Comment by wordslinger Tuesday, Jul 31, 18 @ 11:22 am
===No surprise Illinois is completely hostile to business and they prefer to set up shop in our neighboring states or countries.===

“Thanks, Bruce Rauner”

Governors… governors own, they always do.

27/60 approval-disapproval after 4 years of “Because Madigan” should really make you think on this whole governors own business, lol

Comment by Oswego Willy Tuesday, Jul 31, 18 @ 11:28 am
Interesting that this data shows a number of relatively small counties that have large public universities. Champaign, McDonough (WIU, Coles (EIU) and the Jackson/Franklin (SIU)

I read the full report and do not see this commented upon. While it may not change the overall picture it is something to consider for those counties involved

Comment by nonBeliever Tuesday, Jul 31, 18 @ 11:32 am
==statistics in their simplest form are near worthless. DeKalb, Champaign, McDonough, McLean Counties are all on the list for high poverty rates. That’s because most college kids are “poor”==

NIU’s enrollment has dropped from just under 25,000 in 2007 to 14,000 today. In a town of — maybe — 44,000.

Try to imagine the domino effects from the Great Recession, and then the governor’s failure to fund higher education, on the housing market, commercial ventures, retail activity, and local school districts.

Please try.

Comment by yinn Tuesday, Jul 31, 18 @ 11:36 am
Raunerites in the 99th GA decided having no budgets for that entire General Assembly was “fine”

Those Raunerites, some with counties with those universities felt not fully funding that economic engine for the region, let alone those counties was the pain needed to help Bruce Rauner take down prevailing wage and collective bargaining.

Members like Mr. Barickman.

You want to discuss universities, and the economic impact of regions and counties, let’s never forget Raunerism, and holding hostage an entire state… and Ken Dunkin… who with Scott Drury and Jack Franks… purposely crippled Illinois.

You want *that* discussion?

Comment by Oswego Willy Tuesday, Jul 31, 18 @ 11:40 am
If we get a JB governor he will raise taxes and drive more tax payers and business out of the state.

Comment by Anonymous Tuesday, Jul 31, 18 @ 11:44 am
–“In the first five quarters of the Trump presidency, growth has been almost 40 percent higher than the average rate during the Obama years, and per capita growth in gross domestic product has been 63 percent faster.”–

LOL, Obama became president in Jan. 2009. Do you recall anything that was going on then, that might have pulled down the average?

Job losses stopped in 2010. Growth has been relatively steady since then.

Geez, you’re not very good at this.

https://data.bls.gov/timeseries/CES0000000001?output_view=net_1mth

Comment by wordslinger Tuesday, Jul 31, 18 @ 11:44 am
- City Zen - Tuesday, Jul 31, 18 @ 10:29 am:

“When I lived in Galesburg, its Maytag plant, with 1,600 high-paying jobs, was relocated to…Mexico.”

As profiled in The Atlantic:

https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2014/09/the-last-refrigerator/380154/

An interesting issue that is rather purposely ignored by far too many politics and pundits.

Galesburg lost jobs to Mexico but 12% of the school district is Hispanic. Historically this is a recent phenomena that largely coincides with the export of jobs to Mexico.

This detailed report noted that 27% of Hispanic children are in poverty compared to 10% for Whites. And unless something quite different than this is going on in Galesburg it seems to be strong evidence that this is another example of ‘exporting jobs and importing poverty.’

Mere coincidence or an inconvenient truth?

Galesburg only or a national issue?

Comment by nonBeliever Tuesday, Jul 31, 18 @ 11:45 am
==Is it just the racial demographics?==

Pretty much. Those mid/southern counties have relatively low populations and are overwhelmingly white. Randolph is the only low-poverty county down there with a sizable African American population.

Comment by City Zen Tuesday, Jul 31, 18 @ 11:51 am
LP…you can thank Obama for the first 5 quarters of growth under Trump. And you can thank GWBush for lackluster performance during Obama’s first couple of years that drag down his “average.” Figures lie and liars figure.

Comment by Jibba Tuesday, Jul 31, 18 @ 12:11 pm
Arock- the federal policies of the last 30+ years have been to lower taxes, cut government spending, and gut social programs. You’re seeing the effects of that. You’re welcome.

Comment by Jibba Tuesday, Jul 31, 18 @ 12:15 pm
===pass a drug test===

Maybe they should get rid of some of those drug tests.

Comment by Rich Miller Tuesday, Jul 31, 18 @ 12:21 pm
Sue, why don’t you change your name to Ayn and be done with it?

Comment by 47th Ward Tuesday, Jul 31, 18 @ 12:41 pm
==No surprise Illinois is completely hostile to business and they prefer to set up shop in our neighboring states or countries.==

==Corporate taxes were much higher than other countries so jobs moved overseas.==

In the same comment you simultaneously blamed Illinois laws and regs and national corporate taxes. So did Illinois jobs move to other states and then overseas? Pick a lane. You can’t even make a coherent argument. You, once again, need a bit of reprogramming.

Comment by Demoralized Tuesday, Jul 31, 18 @ 12:46 pm
=more than half of the state’s 102 counties on a poverty watch list.=
- While executive perks, bonuses, and salaries go through the roof.

I think the GOP calls this “winning”.

Comment by Deadbeat Conservative Tuesday, Jul 31, 18 @ 12:51 pm
The predictable answer from some is hostility to business. Yet the vast majority of states in the bottom half of median incomes are generally red/Republican. It’s been this way for a long time.

Hostile to business means that unless super-rich corporate conservatives get the most out of government, as in lower taxes and regulations, and weakining unions, the place is lousy. I hope one day many in rural communities understand the hostage-taking.

Rauner and his allies want people in low-income areas to agree to have their labor rights stripped, to ensure maximum profitability for the super-rich or else no investment will be made. They want people to self-exploit. It’s a terrible thing to tell working people, especially African-Americans—unless you strip your rights and make yourself weaker, we won’t invest in you.

Comment by Grandson of Man Tuesday, Jul 31, 18 @ 12:52 pm
–The economy has 5 million jobs to fill if only the applicants could read and pass a drug test–

You first, based on your history of posts.

Comment by wordslinger Tuesday, Jul 31, 18 @ 12:57 pm
To the folks who would like to secede from Chicago…what would our new state name be? North Mississippi sure had a nice ring to it.

Comment by UnionCraneOp Tuesday, Jul 31, 18 @ 12:58 pm
==To the folks who would like to secede from Chicago…what would our new state name be? North Mississippi sure had a nice ring to it.==

West West Virginia.

Comment by City Zen Tuesday, Jul 31, 18 @ 1:15 pm
=more than half of the state’s 102 counties on a poverty watch list.=

I’m surprised that no one has blamed this on Madigan, the way he is blamed for every other ill in Illinois. As far as the concentration of poverty in far southern Illinois, it’s obviously because Chicago Democrats divert tax revenue from the south to the county of Cook, right? Lots of downstaters believe it.

Comment by anon2 Tuesday, Jul 31, 18 @ 2:14 pm
==it’s obviously because Chicago Democrats divert tax revenue==.

Exactly. “North Mississippi” (or “West West VA”) doesn’t have much wealth to divert does it?

Ive always urged some Chicago legislators to call the downstate Repubs bluff and co sponsor the secession resolution. Then maybe hearings would show just how dependent many downstate areas (and the suburbs) are on Chicago.

Comment by low level Tuesday, Jul 31, 18 @ 3:52 pm
Some on this blog say government assistance is to blame. Others say trickle down isnt working. Guess the only thing left is to increase wages. Hmmm, we havent tried that in awhile.

Comment by Generic Drone Tuesday, Jul 31, 18 @ 4:09 pm
Rauner could have accepted Madigan’s offer to amend workers comp legislation and could have worked to broker deals. But not Rauner, being a zealot. Now we have no reform, on top of debt and damage directly caused by the budget crisis. In what twisted mind is this conservative?

Comment by Grandson of Man Tuesday, Jul 31, 18 @ 4:44 pm
==I’ve always urged some Chicago legislators to call the downstate Repubs bluff and co sponsor the secession resolution.==

Define dependency. While Chicago provides me a convenient hub of employers, those employers are filled with employees such as myself educated in the collar counties and parochial schools. Without the talent educated and/or living in the collar counties (among other places), Chicago would not be what it is today.

Comment by City Zen Tuesday, Jul 31, 18 @ 4:54 pm
You just said it. Without Chicago, where are you going to work?

Comment by low level Wednesday, Aug 1, 18 @ 9:14 am
==Without Chicago, where are you going to work?==

Oak Brook, Lisle, Schaumburg, Itasca, Northbrook…

Comment by City Zen Wednesday, Aug 1, 18 @ 9:52 am
==Oak Brook, Lisle, Schaumburg…”. LOL. All those trains that come in to the city each morning from said areas come because jobs are so plentful there, yes?

And surely those areas sprouted up and continue to do well without the economic engine that is the city of Chicago, right? Please.

Not only are you dependent on the city for employment, you are dependent on chicago taxpayers paying for the infrastructure that supports said business.

Comment by low level Wednesday, Aug 1, 18 @ 11:19 am
*not to mention all the cultural institutions you get in North Mississippi. The Schaumburg Symphony? Or that phenomenal Lisle Lakefront that Lolla goes to, yes? And the accompanying jobs.

This level of job support that a inner city provides was why London instituted a commuter tax… under a conservative mayor. Im not advocating that but i love how suburbanites think their areas could be self sustaining or simply grew out of nowhere.

Comment by low level Wednesday, Aug 1, 18 @ 11:34 am